Literary Las Vegas

The Flamingo casino is a literary jackpot. It’s been a setting for Tim Powers’ novel of the supernatural, “Last Call,” as well as “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!,” the nonfiction work by and about renowned scientist Richard Feynman.

Visitors make their way through the Midway at Circus Circus, featured in Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

Acrobats from China swing high above the crowd in a duo aerial strap performance on the Midway at Circus Circus, which was immortalized in Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

Visitors walk past the merry-go-round made famous in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

A man is caught in a mosaic of color and light on the Las Vegas Strip.

Mark Pearce, left, has breakfast with friends at the Peppermill Restaurant on Oct. 13. MacArthur “genius” fellowship recipient Dave Hickey has been known to hold court at its Fireside Lounge, debating art, culture and Las Vegas with every person who enters his sphere.

Brian Hewitt and Anne Flagg enjoy the ambience of the Fireside Lounge at the Peppermill Restaurant.

The Mob Museum features a selection of bestsellers and works on organized crime, law enforcement and local history, along with author talks and book signings.

The Mob Museum in Las Vegas occupies what was originally a city post office/courthouse. There, you might pause to consider Truman Capote explaining in “In Cold Blood” how the murderers were caught: They mailed their blood-soaked clothes care of general delivery, and the police watched them claim the box.

The gift shop at the Mob Museum sells books on the mafia and Las Vegas history.

The Guardian Angel Cathedral, designed by Los Angeles architect Paul Revere Williams, stands along the Vegas Strip.

The Guardian Angel Cathedral was featured in Richard Rodriguez’s “Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography.”

Housed at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute sponsors fellowships, readings and panels.

Vegas is exciting and all, but sometimes you just need to get away. Members of the Wilcox and Pilimai families point out a pair of American coots at the Clark County Wetlands Park, nine miles from the Las Vegas Strip.

A spring soft-shell turtle wades in a pond that also features fish, ducks and other wildlife at the Clark County Wetlands Park in Las Vegas.